Learning from the learners Gloria Ramos Cebu Daily News
June 15, 2009
Life’s endless possibilities and opportunities can become realities, as long as an open mind, a creative spirit, a positive attitude and a thirst for knowledge are deeply ingrained. Our world would have been static and stale were it not for a bunch of activists who think beyond “what is” and simply energized by the “what ifs” lurking in their minds. Gandhi, Goodall, Saro-Wiwa, Obama and our very own Oposa are learners who dared to take risks to fulfill a vision which transcends the self.
The crusade to protect our life support system is a never-ending learning journey. Hurdling challenges after tough challenges, the learner learns the patience of a spider and the willingness to take baby steps to boldly attain the vision. Wisdom is gained from the life-changing experiences. There is clearer discernment in how society evolves, how laws are made or “fossilized” because certain sectors are glued to certain vested interests and how humans have sadly allowed themselves to be passive and meek recipients of unsustainable policies.
The crusade is also a journey towards “re-discovery” – of one’s being. Every twist and turn in the saga demands hard choices that require constant re-examination of the sacred values and priorities that are held dear. An “examined” life, it certainly is – a far cry from an existence of quiet desperation. Grit, determination and action are essential to attain the dream of a more sustainable life on earth. The stakes are high, even at the cost of life itself.
Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian environmental activist, and poet, was an environmental activist who lost his life to attain his dream. He led the campaign for justice for the Ogoni people and for compensation from Royal Dutch Shell for the damage that oil exploration brought to their land. Nigeria had abundant natural resources that were looted by the corrupt military leaders.
On Nov. 10, 1995, despite protests from the international community, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were hanged by the government. “Only days after the executions, Shell Oil and a consortium of other investors concluded a $3.8 billion deal to build a natural gas complex in Nigeria. In addition, the government proceeded with arrests of other dissidents.”
His death gave birth to hundreds of thousands more “Ken Saro-Wiwas” determined to seek justice for the martyrs for this planet. A few days ago, almost fourteen years after his death, the oil company agreed to pay huge settlement compensation.
The daring execution of Elpidio “Jojo” de la Victoria, a dedicated public servant, a highly responsible steward of our environment who institutionalized the practice of “market-denial” for fishes caught illegally, is still vivid in our minds. But a thousand more young “Jojos” are continuing his vision for that day when humans would have learned to live in harmony with nature.
No less than the 1987 Constitution ordained us – leaders and people alike – to do. Our forefathers humbly recognized this interconnectedness between man and God’s creations. Our generation unfortunately does not.
Environmental advocates learn from special people whom they would not have otherwise met were it not for the shared passion to protect this planet. In the Philippines, when one speaks of the environment, Tony Oposa Jr. immediately comes to the mind. He has earned a place in our history, young as he was when the Oposa Ruling was handed down by our thankfully activist Supreme Court, and as sprightly as he still is, fourteen years after, when the Manila Bay Ruling was promulgated by the Supreme Court.
Never to rest on his laurels, Tony lives for that day when environmental laws need not be enforced in this blessed biodiversity-rich member of the recently-launched Coral Triangle Initiative. Aside from his “baby” – the eco-revolution called Global Legal Action on Climate Change (GLACC) – he is on a trajectory towards genuine public participation, accountability and public-private sector partnership in environmental governance.
The Environmental Ombudsman-led Environmental Compliance Audit (ECA) is going to be a full-fledged citizens’ movement that assesses compliance by local governments of the Solid Waste Management Law and the Fisheries Code.
ECA brought to our shores National University of Singapore Professor Lye Lin Heng, also of Asia Pacific Center for Environmental Law and Robin Adams, environmental management enforcer of South Africa National Park. They cheerfully went through a punishing eight-day schedule, which only Tony can concoct, with stops at Bantayan, Cebu, Sagay, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Carles, Cebu City and Manila.
From Lin, we learned how an exemplary leader like Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, with the constituents’ discipline and support, made Singapore into a “State within a Garden” and a “Fine City.” Their leaders, like ours, also court investors. But theirs were smarter and were long-term thinkers and enforcers who believe that sustainability and putting in place infrastructures for health, sanitation and the environment were and are the more intelligent way to go.
From Robin, we learned that the young democracy of South Africa has laws that are enforced and generally complied with, unlike in the Philippines, with its world class legislations, where, as Robin rightfully noted, lawyers first have to file suits against enforcers to make the law work.
Lin and Robin were moved by the commitment of the people they met, especially the young lawyers from Bacolod City led by Christine Espinosa, Iloilo City’s Hector Teodosio and Cebu’s Ben Cabrido, and of course, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.
In doing the ECA at Carles, walking a kilometer of a muddy road to reach the open dumpsite, located near the plastic bags-littered shores of Punta, inspecting the public market at the Poblacion, visiting a public elementary school, and looking at the teeny-weeny catch of a returning fisherfolk (one fish, four pieces of shells and crustacean – after staying eight hours in the sea), this writer observed the tremendous dedication of two young hardworking investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas.
Maria Luvilla Gaurana and Evangeline Nuñal inspired us to have stronger faith in the office of the Ombudsman as the protector of the people and, now, the environment, and in ourselves, as stewards of nature.
The late Saro-Wiwa’s message from his prison cell should awaken the “sleeping giants” called humans. He reminded us that “The environment is man’s first right. Without a safe environment, man cannot exist to claim other rights, be they political, social, or economic.” How true. It is time to learn from the learners, defend Nature and press for immediate compliance with the environmental laws, as we are now teetering on the edge of irreversible ecological collapse.
